Fading Scars
by silver-kyubi
Summary: Kagura, unable to get into college, is forced to work in the local diner. However, a new regular could mean a new future for her. (Rated for suicide talk, future violence, and other mature themes.-COMPLETE-
1. And So, They Meet

Please be nice. This is my first fanfic. Oh, and I do not own any of characters from InuYasha. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, so don't sue.

"_NO! DAD!"_

"_GET BACK HERE KANNA!"_

I snapped awake from my troubled slumber, the dream's events replaying in my mind. The memory of my father's arrest has been haunting me for ten years. Ten years of mental torture. Ten years of silence from my twin sister. Ten years of countless attempted suicides.

Kanna was my fraternal twin sister. She was Naraku's favorite, always jumping to his every request. In return, she was treated kindly. When father was arrested, she lost all trust in humanity, even if it meant cutting off contact with her only remaining family member.

Our father was arrested for murder and child abuse. He had hired a hitman to slaughter a wealthy family for their money, and to get rid of business rivals. As for the child abuse, well, I was never the favorite. I never got perfect grades in school, so I would be beaten for bad grades. Then, the bastard would compare me to my "perfect" sister. Things went too far when he broke my arm, so I reported him. He was arrested for child abuse, and later connected to his business rival's murder.

It's been ten years since that happened. With no mother to take over for Naraku, we were split up into separate foster homes for the last three years of our childhood. Nobody really understood me, and I was always transferred to another home after each suicide attempt. I couldn't stand my foster families, and when I managed to find Kanna, she turned me away, accusing me of breaking up our family.

I sighed, banishing the bad memories to the back of my head for a while. I climbed out of bed and pulled on my waitress' uniform. I hated the job, but I had to take it. I couldn't get into college, so this was the only job I could take. With a touch of make-up, I was out the door and walking in the cold winter weather the two blocks to the neighborhood's old-style diner.

"Early again, as usual, Kagura," my boss smiled at me as I passed her. I smiled back at the raven-haired woman, and hanged my coat up on the coat rack.

"So, anything unusual planned for today, Kikyo?"

"Nothing much. We may have some first-graders coming in from a field trip, but that's about it."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Is Koga here? I could go get him started on the little platters."

"I can handle it. Just go get the place ready for the customers."

I turned my back on her and started wiping down the stools and booths. Kikyo went back to her office, where she would analyze reports from the health inspectors. In a few minutes, machines could be heard behind the counter, telling me that Koga, Ginta, and Hakkaku had come in on time through the back door. A few minutes later, a girl with dark hair, wearing a waitress uniform tried sneaking into the diner.

"Don't think I didn't hear that, Kagome!" Kikyo shouted through her office door.

"Why does she always yell at me?" Kagome complained.

"Well, let's see," I couldn't resist putting her in her place. "You stole her boyfriend, and you are always late."

"I am not!"

"Just hang up your coat and get ready. People should be coming in any time now."

Sure enough, the regulars started coming in. Many of the men that came in usually flirted with Kagome, and today was no different. Some would strike up a conversation with me, but in the end, Kagome was who they wanted.

As one of the customers left, I picked up his payment, tip, and his coffee mug. I was in the back, putting the mug in the sink, when Kagome's yells reached me.

"Kagura, get over here now! We have another customer, and I'm swamped."

"_Yeah right," _I thought to myself. "_You're just too busy flirting."_

I made my way to the counter to handle the new customer. Only one thought coursed through my head when I saw him.

He was HOT.

His long, silvery hair draped down almost the whole length of his back. Despite the cold weather, he wore a white tee shirt and blue jeans. One sleeve of the shirt hung limp, as he was missing his left arm. Tattooed on the sides of his face and on his right hand were long, magenta triangles. To top it off, his eyes were a beautiful shade of amber.

Apparently, he noticed that I was staring at him with a stupid look plastered on my face. He snapped his fingers to bring me to attention.

"Oh! S-sorry sir," I stammered nervously, looking around to see if anybody noticed. The others went on with their usual flirting. "Is there anything that you would like to order."

The man stared off into space for a second, as if considering something. Then, he suddenly shook his head and responded, "I'll just have some dry toast and coffee."

I had turned around to get his food, when suddenly someone grabbed my arm. I turned to face the man, who was inspecting the silvery scars on my wrist. He traced one of the scars with his thumb, shaking his head slightly as he did so.

"Um, is there something you want, sir?"

"Nothing, just, go on with your business."

He released my arm, and I walked off to fetch his food, with my mind focusing solely on that man. He was gorgeous, meaning that I would never have a chance with him. I sighed a bit loudly, and Koga heard me.

"Hey Kagura, what's wrong?" Koga asked, trying to hide the venom in his voice. I never understood why the tall, black-haired man hated me.

"Nothing, now get me some toast."

I poured the customer a cup of coffee, and waited a minute for the toast. When the toast came up, I took it to the man. He took a bite and looked at me, as if he were going to ask me something.

"What's your name?"

The suddenness of the question caught me off guard. "Uh… My name is Kagura. Don't you ever look at the name tags?"

"No," he said, cramming a large piece of toast in his mouth and swallowing it. "The location of the tags makes me feel like a perv if I look at them. By the way, I'm Sesshomaru."

We held a light conversation while he ate. Finally, he set some money on the counter and made to leave. I picked up his dirty dishes and took them to the sink in the back. Back up front, when I went to pick up the tip, I found a napkin with writing on it.

_Kagura, meet me in front of this diner at 8:00 PM. Wear something nice. Call this number only if you cannot make it. 555-7349_

_Sesshomaru_


	2. The First Date

Sorry for the horridness. Here is chapter two.

InuYasha and all related characters belong to a genius that was born in Niigata, Japan. I was not born in Niigata, Japan, therefore, I do not own InuYasha.

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"SHIT!"

It was seven thirty, and I was barely ready. In my rush to get going, I had snagged my pantyhose. Also, my face was a mess since my hand was shaking while I put on my makeup, and trying to wash it off made it worse. To top it off, I had just found out that my old hand-me-down dress shoes were too moldy to wear.

"Grr. Note to self. If this man is worth a second date, I won't dress up like this, no matter where we're going."

The stupid stockings were on, now to try taking off the makeup mess. I opened the medicine cabinet to see what could help me. There was hydrogen peroxide, nail polish remover, and a little bar in the back that I couldn't identify.

"What's this?" I asked myself, picking up the bar. I looked at the tiny label on it.

"MAKEUP REMOVER!? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DOING IN THE BACK?"

If I had spotted the stuff sooner, my face wouldn't be such a mess. It didn't matter now. The soap worked wonders, and I could try applying makeup again. In a few minutes, I had the makeup on right. Now for a final check.

I stood back from the mirror a few feet and looked at myself. I had pulled my hair up with a black tie that blended with my hair. Stuck just underneath the tie were two little feathers, just for decoration. As for my clothing, I wore a long, silvery-white dress with spaghetti straps. Not too great, but it was all I could afford with my relatively low salary.

Somewhat ready to go, I grabbed my purse and coat and slipped on some sandals, hoping that the dress would cover them and the torn stockings. Taking a deep breath, I left the apartment and stepped out into the cold.

Ten minutes later, after having slipped twice on the icy sidewalks and stepping a few times in the snow with my barely protected feet, I arrived at the diner. The place was closed, so I couldn't spend the next five minutes waiting in the warmth. At least the whole street was almost deserted, so no cars could splash sludge on me.

I waited, and sure enough, headlights came into view from around a corner. A sleek, new car seemed to glide up in front of me. The passenger side window rolled down, and the man inside turned his head to face mine. He smiled for a second.

"Get in, or you'll freeze."

All I could do was grunt back at him and open the door to the luxurious car. He flipped a couple of switches as I sat down and closed the door. Within seconds, my dripping feet were blasted with warm air, and I could feel the seat warm up beneath me. It was relaxing. I could live in the seat.

"Enjoying yourself, there?" Sesshomaru chuckled, noticing the content look on my face. "Don't get too used to it. The restaurant isn't too far from here."

"You sure I can't take a nap here?"

"Sorry, but I already have a reservation."

I sighed. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To that Italian restaurant a few miles away. You know, the one that has the unpronounceable name."

"Ooh," I sat upright. "I've always wanted to go there."

Sesshomaru smiled. "I think you'll like it there."

In a few minutes, we were parked in front of the restaurant. It was a small, sophisticated building. Immediately, I shrank back a bit. The place seemed too good for me. Sesshomaru looked at me, trying to reassure me that I could enter the place. He then got out, and opened the passenger side door for me.

Sesshomaru was quite the gentleman as I found out. He took my arm and escorted me all the way across the parking lot, and into the restaurant. He helped me out with the mostly Italian text menu, and he even defended me when one of the waiters asked about my intentions in the place. When our orders were taken, he spoke up.

"So, Kagura, tell me about yourself. You know, your career?"

I paused for a second. "There isn't really much to tell. I'm nineteen, a female, and I work in a diner because my grades weren't good enough to get into college. What about you?"

"I'm twenty, and I train animals for movies."

"Interesting," I found that an odd career. "What movies have you trained animals for?"

"I only just started. I can't reveal the plot for the movie I'm working on yet."

I smiled, then sighed. "You know, you could do a lot better than me. Why did you ask me out."

"Because," Sesshomaru sighed, "I just wanted to. Do I need to explain the thoughts that go through my head every time I see a woman that intrigues me?"

"No, just wondering." I sighed, and twirled my fork in the alfredo that had just been set in front of me.

"Something wrong?" My date asked me, a piece of ravioli halfway to his mouth.

"It's just that I feel out of place," I sighed. "I've always been ignored or abused. I never got the best or first of anything. Now you come along, with your richness and perfection. I'm confused."

"Hey, I had to work for this." Sesshomaru spoke quietly and angrily. "My childhood was never perfect either. Nobody has a perfect life, and nobody has a truly awful life as well. So please, stop whining over it. I asked you out so we could have a good time together."

The suddenness of that shut me up. Sesshomaru noticed my shock and promptly apologized.

"I'm sorry Kagura. Please, why don't we start over?"

Our conversation over dinner was pleasant. He told me all about his career that he could, and I told him a bit about myself. He never asked about my suicide scars, and I was thankful for that. That could wait until we knew each other better.

Finally, with full stomachs, we prepared to leave. Sesshomaru paid completely for the meal. Again, he walked me out to the car, where I could relax in the warm seat. He closed the door for me, and climbed in the driver's seat. Flipping some switches, he looked over at me as my seat warmed up.

"You look happy."

"Mm, I could die in this seat." I sighed, leaning back.

"Would you ever considering going out with me again? Please don't do it just for the car seat."

I turned my head to face his. "Where would we go, Sesshy darling?"

"Please don't call me that. As for where we would go, I'll figure it out later."

I smiled as he drove me home. It was official. He was my boyfriend.

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It's difficult to write about a date when you've never had a boyfriend, isn't it? Anyway, reviews, flames, and constructive critisicm are welcomed. 


	3. The Busybody

"You certainly look happy today, Kagura."

I happily smiled at the for once early Kagome. She grinned back uneasily. After all, I was normally depressed and suicidal in front of her. To Kagome, my cheerfulness meant that either I was drunk or high on some sort of mushroom.

Kagome just stared uneasily at me as I hung up my coat and set out the napkins and straws. I just smiled. Last night was the best night in my life since Naraku was arrested.

I flipped on the radio behind the counter for something to listen to before opening. There wasn't much. There was just news of a prison riot and something on an algae that's ruining some California lagoons. My mind wandered from prisoners to last night's date. I sighed, and drifted into my little dreamworld, where only Sesshomaru and me existed.

"Hello? Kagura? You alive?"

I snapped back to reality as Kagome snapped her fingers in my face. She was looking at me as if she wanted to ask something.

"What do you want, Kagome?"

Kagome immediately shifted so that she would be nose to nose with me. "I just wanted to know about yesterday. Is there something going on between you and that guy?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"I just want to know, that's all. Why are you being mean to me?"

I had almost forgotten how annoying Kagome could get when she wanted to know something. I had worked with for years, and had never figured out how to get her to leave me alone.

"I'm not being mean, I'm just retaining my privacy."

"But I want to know."

"Listen, you little brat." I snarled at her, trying a new approach. "What goes on at home with me is none of your business. My love and sex life is not going to be public knowledge."

"I STILL WANT TO KNOW!"

"YOU DON'T NEED TO!"

"LADIES! ENOUGH!"

Kagome and I ceased our screaming at each other as a ladle whipped in front of our faces. Koga withdrew his weapon and glared at us.

"The customers should be here any minute," he growled. "Stop your arguing and get back to work. If you two continue like this, I'm going to get in trouble too for not stopping it. So, stop it!"

The cook turned his back on us and walked out of sight. From the back, the faint, nervous voices of Hakkaku and Ginta could be heard.

"I thought you were going to wait until they started hitting each other, and then dump water on them, Koga."

"Yeah, I thought we were going to see a wet tee-shirt fight."

Kagome and I listened for a few more seconds, as dull smacks could be heard. Followed with an angry "Idiots, they could hear you."

Kagome and I turned around, still glaring death at each other. She seemed rather miffed that Koga had broken up the fight.

"Stop being such a bitch." She snarled in my direction.

"How about you stop being a slave to the media." I retorted.

Kagome, in all her ditzy, designer clothes glory, did not get the insult. She just stood there, shrugged, and then ran to the entrance. Her current boyfriend, Hojo, was just walking in. The pair hugged, greeted each other, and then proceeded to make out in the middle of the restaurant. Neither noticed the gagging motions I was making behind their backs. PDA was disgusting, no matter what.

"Kagome, this is where people take their families, not make them!" Kikyo's shouts sounded through her office door.

Hojo let go of Kagome and moved to his usual seat at the counter. Kagome stood in the middle of the room for a second, then moved to her post behind the counter, whining as she did so.

"How is it that Kikyo always catches me? It isn't fair." The brat whimpered.

"Kagome," I sighed in exasperation. "Have you ever been in Kikyo's office?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I haven't." Kagome shot back at me.

"Well, you should sometime." I tried as hard as I could to keep a straight face. Did she really think I was going to tell her about the security cameras in the diner?

A cold breeze blew through the door as Sesshomaru quietly walked in. He sat down at the counter across from me and smiled. I grinned back at him and asked for his order, trying to convince Kagome that nothing was going on. I guess I was doing a very bad job, since I saw Kagome grinning madly out of the corner of my eye.

"You seem nervous today Kagura." Sesshomaru said quietly. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"No," I replied, "I'll just go get you that coffee."

I stepped back out of view, to get the coffee. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, and came face to face with a smug-looking Kagome. She giggled evilly when I looked at her.

"What?"

"I knew it! I knew there was something going on! Wait 'till I tell my friends!"

"You will not be telling any of your friends! In fact, I would still like to know why all this matters so much to you, and I don't want to hear "Just because," 'cause I'm sick of it!"

Kagome paused for a second. She didn't dare retort. She saw how pissed I was, and knew that I could easily merge her trachea with her neck vertebrae.

"Uh…" she paused. "I have a customer waiting. See 'ya!"

I just let her go. I had fought enough with her for one day. Any more, and I could be fired. Besides, defeating Kagome in an argument or other sort of fight a thousand times wouldn't prove anything about me.

A few minutes later, I was back out front with Sesshomaru's coffee. He smiled quietly as he took the mug. I couldn't help smiling back.

"Kagura, what was with that arguing back there?"

Sesshomaru stared at me with those deep amber eyes of his. It was like he was attempting to read my mind when I hesitated to answer his question.

"Oh, uh, nothing." I managed to stammer. "Nothing happened at all."

"Yeah. Right." Sesshomaru muttered. "Anyway, I have decided what we should do on our next date. I just have a question."

"Okay, shoot."

"What sort of movie do you like? Sci-fi, action, horror, romance?"

"Oh, I like sci-fi. Horror is good too. Just please, no kissy mushy romance movies, okay? I assume that we are going to the movies next?"

"You might be right. You never know."

Sesshomaru smiled. It was only just then that I truly noticed him smiling. He seemed like the type of person that wouldn't normally show emotion.

"So," I asked, shaking those thoughts from my mind. "Do you have a time yet?"

"How about Thursday? I could pick you up in front of your home this time."

"Sure thing." I gave him my address. He folded it up the piece of paper that I had written on and put it in his pocket. I watched him as he started on his coffee, trying to block out the giggling I heard to my right.

Sesshomaru finished, and set the money in front of me. Kagome and Hojo were busy flirting, so they didn't notice as Sesshomaru politely requested that I not go overboard with dressing up on Thursday and left.

I sighed, and just watched Hojo and Kagome proceed to make out in the middle of the place again with disgust. Hopefully, the relationship between Sesshomaru and myself would not sink to that disgusting level.


	4. The Second Date

Sorry for the wait, my computer was being mean. As for the last chapter, I am verysorry mighty website runners, I had a friend post the chapter for me, and forgot to tell her to put in a disclaimer.

Now, this disclaimer will also be for chapter three as well:  
I do not own InuYasha. Honestly, if I did own InuYasha, I would use whatever magic that makes Rumiko Takahashi such a great author/artist and create my own personal Sesshomaru for me to glomp on a daily basis. So, since there is no Sesshy tied upin my closet, I don't own InuYasha.

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The rest of the week flew by, and soon, I was preparing myself for a date again. Thankfully, I didn't have to wear anything fancy. Just jeans and a tee-shirt would do. For today, a plain red shirt and blue jeans were my choice.

Outside the apartment, I found Sesshomaru waiting by his car. He waved at me as I stepped through the doors into the cold. I climbed into his warm car, and waited for him to follow suit.

"So, where are we going today?" I asked him as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"A light dinner, a movie, and maybe someplace else that I haven't decided on yet."

"Ooh, what movie will we see?"

"I was thinking, the multiplex here always reserves a few screens to show a new release for one night. I thought we could go see _National Treasure._"

It was like this man could read my thoughts. Sure, I had told him that I liked action, and I might have expressed an interest in conspiracy, but I had never told him that I had been dying to see that particular film.

"Yes! I've always wanted to see that! Thank you!" I almost squealed with delight.

Sesshomaru covered his ears. "Alright. You're happy. Now, let's go."

_Three hours later…_

"That was a pretty good movie. What did you think?" Sesshomaru asked me as we exited the theater.

"Great, but I don't see why the critics hated it so much. The creators obviously did a bit of research into Freemason history for the film. They should have mentioned or included the Illuminati to make it complete though."

"Illuminati?" Sesshomaru asked. "What's that?"

I wondered how Sesshomaru, who seemed so intelligent, had not even heard of the ultimate conspiracy. Then again, they do a good job of covering up their existence, so I just brushed it off.

"I'll explain it sometime. Anyway, you said we might go somewhere else."

Sesshomaru paused for a second. "Why don't we go to some fast food restaurant. We can order from the drive-thru, and eat in the car in the parking lot. We'd have privacy there."

Within ten minutes, we were in a McDonald's parking lot with massive cartons of fries and large drinks. Surprisingly enough, the restaurant was crowded at the late hour. It took a half an hour for us to get our food in the drive-thru. To avoid trouble with the people there, we moved our meal to a shopping mall parking lot.

"This is great Sesshy. Where did you get the idea?" I honestly wanted to know. This was unique to somebody like me.

"It's something my parents and I would do, before they died." Sesshomaru added that last bit almost too quietly to hear.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I need to open up to somebody."

"Alright, shoot." I wanted to know about my date's past.

"My mother died of cancer when I was three. She was quite wealthy, and left a lot of money behind. Within a few years, my father was dating again. When I was ten, he married a model, and they had a child together. Why they named him InuYasha, I don't know. Well, when I was fifteen, and my stepbrother was four, we started leaving him with a babysitter. One night, we went to see a movie, and got into a car accident. I lost my arm, and my parents that night."

"That must have been tough." I added after Sesshomaru paused.

"It was. InuYasha, being the naïve child that he was, believed that I was the cause of the accident. I fear that one day, he will track me down and try to get revenge. These tattoos on my face and my hair color are all steps I have taken to keep him from finding me."

He actually laughed a little at me as I paused to imagine what he would look like with darker hair. The look sure wouldn't suit him.

"My life wasn't perfect either." I said, hoping he would listen to my story. "I never knew my mother, and my father was abusive. He always favored my suck-up of a sister. Finally, I turned him in, and he was connected to the murder of his business rivals. Kanna hates my guts, but who wouldn't blame her. I was the reason we were jumping from foster home to foster home."

Sesshomaru nodded as I finished my story. "Well, Kagura, you'll always have a shoulder to cry on."

"Thanks." I sighed, paused, and then shoved the last of the fries in my mouth. Sesshomaru laughed a bit. I could always find a way to ruin any romantic moment.

"Here," he said as he stuck the keys in the ignition, "I'll drive you home."

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Could anybody who is reading this imagine Sesshy without silver hair and stripes and a moon? I doubt it. 


	5. Escape

grr... I really hate writer's block. I just realized how ooc many of my characters were, so the last part of this went under a rewrite, which took me a while. Sorry. Chapter six is coming along well, though. I just want to warn you though that the story is wrapping up, and will shift focus a bit. If you watch a lot of crime/science dramas on tv, you might like this.

Disclaimer: Do I look or act like I own InuYasha and it's characters? Honestly, if I did, I would have gotten the guts to have taken a few more liberties with some of the characters and thier pasts. So, I don't own it. Don't you dare sue.

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Within a week, everything pertaining to my work life seemed to go back to normal. Kagome had learned to dislike me again, and Kikyo had taken to venting her frustrations on the girl. Koga, as usual, hated me. And of course, the radio was playing in the background as we prepared for the customers.

"_Tonight, we are expecting heavy snowfall, high wind speeds, and a low of negative three Fahrenheit." _The weatherman blared out the same message day after day on the radio. In fact, the snow was melting. I found it quite annoying, and I only put up with it for the local news.

"Kagura, turn that damn thing off!" Kagome snarled in my direction, angry that a false weather report had ruined her daily make-out with Hojo.

"Quiet, bitch." I mumbled, the only truthful part of the broadcast was coming on.

"_Now, in breaking news, the two week prison riot and hostage crisis is over, and two inmates have escaped. We advise the public to look out for Watsuko Juromaru and his uncle Watsuko Naraku…"_

"No, they can't…"

"_We would also advise you to be on the lookout for Naraku's daughter, Kanna, who is suspected to have aided in the escape…"_

"Kanna too? No…"

"_All three are considered armed and dangerous. Please do not approach them, and call the police at this number if you should spot them."_

All ability, all will to exist ended right there. I lost sense of most things around me. All I heard before my head hit the ground were Kagome and Hojo's startled shouts.

…

"Kagura, are you alright?"

My head was pounding, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony I felt inside. Naraku was out, and he had brought Juromaru, who was known in our family for taking his vampire obsession too far.

"Kagura?"

I opened my eyes to see Kikyo, Koga, Hojo, Ginta, Hakkaku, and Kagome standing over me. Despite how most of them hated me, all seemed genuinely concerned. A fat lot of help it did me, though. They can't put my dad back in jail.

"What happened?" Hakkaku asked me as the others helped me up.

"My dad escaped. He took my cousin with him."

The door opened, and a rush of cold air blew in. Sesshomaru immediately ran to my side as soon as he saw the scene.

"I heard it on the radio. Is it tr-

"Yes it's true. Naraku escaped. Could you all stop asking me what's wrong now?"

Kikyo sighed and turned to Sesshomaru. "Could you escort her home for me? She can't work in this condition."

"Sure." He put his arm around my shoulder, and led me out of the building.

Back at my apartment, Sesshomaru was making tea for me while I lay on my bed, crying and in extreme pain from cramps. I always got stomach cramps when I was stressed. Sesshy had been especially sympathetic, even loaning me an incredibly fluffy blanket. It still didn't help my emotional pain, though.

Sesshomaru walked in, his face showing no emotion as he stood over me. He couldn't do much to help me. We both knew that. Still, his presence was comforting, as if he would protect me from anything that came my way.

"I can't stay with you tonight," he stated softly, "but you do have my phone number. Call if you need me."

"Yeah, sure."

Sesshomaru got up and left the room. He came back a few minutes later with a cup of tea. Sesshy set it and a small painkiller on the bedside table next to me and turned back to the door.

"I have to leave now," he said just as he stepped out of the room. "Be sure that the aspirin I gave you is the only one you take. I don't want to have to answer a call from the morgue asking me to identify a body, and your coworkers wouldn't want to either. Don't give up on life, got it?"

I said nothing, and waited. The sounds of Sesshomaru's footsteps grew softer as he walked down the hall, and eventually, out of my apartment. A car started up outside, and drove off, leaving me alone to deal with my problem.

An hour passed, then another, and still, I did not move. Nothing went through my mind but sadness and fear. Naraku would track me down, I was sure of it. He was the type that would go after the person that turned him in. Plus, Witness Protection was run by a bunch of jackasses, and I would be dead before they could get the paperwork in.

Despite his wealth and power, Sesshomaru couldn't protect me. Government and law enforcement wouldn't want to get mixed up in the family troubles of a waitress. I was alone for this ordeal.

I had a gut feeling that I wouldn't live past thirty.

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I tried to fix the oocness. I know it turned out bad, alright. It's just that the month leading up to Valentine's Day is a living Hell for me... Always has been, always will be. Chapter six will be here in a couple of weeks.

unoriginal family surname for Naraku, I know. I needed something, so I just looked at my RK manga and tweaked the creator's name a bit.

C'mon people, review! This story, and my others need them! coughNaivecough I'll even take flames!


	6. Hostage

well... this is the last chapter. I've been having a bit of trouble writing lately, and I thought this story will get more reviews. I'm sorry for how badly written it is. Just read and review, okay?

note to self: never write in first person again unless it's for a oneshot...

Disclaimer: I don't own any IY characters. I am nowhere near that creative. It isn't in my mental capacity to write about zombie priestesses and sexy spider demons (even if he does have tentacles and a hideous demon form). Koga maybe, but I don't own him. TT

**

* * *

**Two weeks passed, and I was back to work. Kikyo was kind enough to give me a paycheck, despite my absence, and Sesshomaru was as supportive as he could be. Kagome and her health crazed boyfriend Hojo even came over and helped around the house. 

The sheen of the old-style diner that I worked at was a welcome sight after two weeks locked in my bedroom. The tables and stools seemed to glisten more than usual, and everybody was exceptionally cheerful. For a few minutes, I forgot about Naraku.

"Hey, Kagura," Kikyo shouted towards me, standing at her office door. "You may have had a rough time, and gotten off of work, but don't let that get to your head. You still have a job to do, so get to it."

"Yeah, okay." I muttered, picking up a rag and moving to wipe a coffee stain off the countertop.

"So, did Sesshomaru stop by at all?" Kagome asked. My old urges to throttle her for snooping returned.

"Yes, now shut up." I muttered.

The door opened, and Sesshomaru entered. His face did not change much, but I could tell that he was glad to see me back in work. He took off his black leather jacket, and sat down at a stool, across from me.

"Good to see you back. Doin' okay?" he asked, with a little bit of concern in his voice.

"I guess." I remarked. Kagome and Hojo sat nearby, listening in. Koga walked up between our groups, and broke off any conversations.

"Girls, get ready, we have a large party coming in." Koga sighed, and waved his ladle. I looked outside to see how many would be coming in. My heart stopped.

A man with long, dark hair and pale skin was in the doorway. His purple shirt and blue jeans fluttered a bit. Behind him were a young man and woman. Both had long, fair colored hair, pale skin, and wore light colored clothing.

Naraku, Kanna, and Juromaru had come.

Naraku walked up to the counter, polite as anybody could be, and place a large order. Kanna and Juromaru waited quietly by the door, their faces expressionless. Their arms were unusually stiff, like they had something stuffed up their jacket sleeves.

Naraku didn't look towards me, so I slipped from behind the counter. There was a strange thought in my head that I would be safer hiding behind Sesshomaru.

"Damn, you ordered a lot," Koga exclaimed minutes later, he and his friends balancing many trays stacked high with food on them. "You sure you won't need a doggy bag?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," Naraku purred, deceptive voice reeling in Koga and the others like a worm leading the fish to the hook. "I'll just need you to get on the floor now!"

That was apparently the signal, as Kanna and Juromaru whipped out some vicious looking shotguns. Naraku reached to his sides and brandished a pair of handguns, one pointed at Koga's face, the other towards Sesshomaru and I.

Kikyo poked her head out of her door, obviously trying to make sense of the racket out here. Juromaru responded by pointing his gun at Kikyo's face. My boss didn't even flinch or show any sign of fear.

"Wench," Naraku snarled at Kikyo, pointing his gun away from Koga and towards the courageous woman. "On the floor and against the wall, now!"

Kikyo merely sighed and did as she was told. Juromaru kept his gun on the restaurant owner the whole time. Naraku, however, turned his gun away from my boss and cocked it towards Sesshomaru. One on each of us.

"So, dear daughter," he snarled, surprisingly white teeth flashing. "Thought you'd get away, did you?"

Sesshomaru tensed next to me, as if he were going to attack my father. Naraku apparently noticed, and pressed on the trigger on the gun in my face threateningly.

"Make a move, and I blow her skull off."

Sesshomaru loosened up a bit. I looked a bit past Naraku, and saw Kagome back up a bit into the kitchen. She slipped out of sight, and I heard the sounds of her purse unzipping and the faint beeps of her cell phone. For once, I prayed that she wouldn't be caught, and that it was the police that she was calling.

My father took the gun away from my face for a few seconds. Now that everybody was good and scared, he found it safe to take a stroll around. He fiddled with the cash register, and peeked in Kikyo's office, remarking on how clean it was.

Kanna tensed a few minutes later, and pointed her gun at the window, ready to shoot it out. We were greeted seconds later by the wail of police sirens. Naraku and Juromaru snarled, and spun about frantically. They stared out the window, and found the restaurant surrounded by police cars. Armed cops stood behind their opened car doors, guns drawn.

"Damn…" Naraku hissed.

"WE HAVE THE PLACE SURROUNDED," a policeman announced on a megaphone. "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS, ALL THREE OF YOU."

Naraku looked around frantically, and then set his eyes on me. He handed one gun to Kanna, and ran over with his hand outstretched. He grabbed my shirt collar, and pulled me upright. I felt the cool metal of the barrel of his gun pressing against the side of my head.

"Don't move," he growled in my ear. He walked me over to the window and turned to the cops outside, jamming the gun harder against my head.

The cops outside paused. A couple of them ducked behind their car doors, radioing their status to whoever was in charge. Minutes passed, and little changed. Everything was at a standstill. The police had no negotiator, and everybody knew that every minute that passed with little done, the less chance I had of making it out alive.

"_It doesn't always turn out in the favor of the human shield." _I thought to myself as a gun clicked. _"This is it."_

Suddenly, the glass shattered, and a bang followed, but I found myself still standing. Suddenly, a warm liquid started spilling across my back, and Naraku fell back, dead. I looked up, through the shattered window. Sitting on a rooftop was a police sniper.

I dropped to my knees, overcome by it all. Kanna and Juromaru paused for a minute, and went along with the police's demands. Around me, coworkers and customers came out of their stupor. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up.

"Sesshomaru…"

"You made it through. Good for you."

Police came rushing in, and paramedics arrived on the scene. Around me were my friends. How could I have thought I would go through this alone?

* * *

Bad, huh? Well, in a few months, I plan on having a much better Kagu/Sessh story. Guess who the antagonist will be in that one.

Thank you to those who reviewed!


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